ABOUT

ABOUT THE FILM

Type "The Angriest Man in the World" into any search engine, and one name appears—Jack Rebney, a.k.a. "The Winnebago Man”—an ‘80s RV salesman whose hilarious, profanity-strewn, on-the-job meltdown was captured on video and passed around on VHS tapes, before exploding into an Internet phenomenon seen by millions. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of the infamous viral video star and discovers him living a hermit-like existence on top of a mountain, unaware of his fame. Rebney turns out to be as sharp-tongued as ever, but more intelligent and lovable than anyone could have imagined. An outrageously funny and unexpectedly redemptive tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity, and proof that the truth is both stranger and funnier than fiction.

WINNEBAGO MAN was theatrically released nationwide by Kino Lorber (U.S.) and by Kinosmith (Canada). The film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2009. The documentary has been broadcast in more than a dozen countries internationally, including EPIX HD (US), The Movie Network (Canada), The Documentary Channel (Canada). ABC (Australia) and BBC Storyville (UK).

ORGINAL OUTTAKE VIDEOS

Following a two-week shoot in August 1988 for a Winnebago sales ad, a 4-minute outtakes reel surfaced in 1989 and eventually came to be known as "Winnebago Man." While the finished sales ad was sent to Winnebago dealers to promote the 1989 Itasca Sunflyer motorhome, copies of the "Winnebago Man" outtakes were being passed amongst the crew and their friends on VHS tape. Eventually the video fell in the hands of videotape collectors, who began copying and trading it, sparking an underground phenomenon that turned Jack Rebney into a cult hero. When the online video revolution took off on YouTube and other websites, Jack Rebney became one of the first viral video superstars.

Today, the "Winnebago Man" clip has been seen by tens of millions of people worldwide and it continues to attract new fans, including a notable following in Hollywood. Jack Rebney has been quoted in movies and on TV by everyone from Ryan Gosling ("Crazy Stupid Love") to Ben Affleck to Alec Baldwin to SpongeBob SquarePants. There’s even a painting of Jack Rebney – as Shrek – that hangs in offices of Dreamworks Animation.